The Song of Flames
by Keiko Oda
Summary: Her life is utterly BORING. Until a new student from Beijing arrives and changes her life. Completely. There are such things as phoenixes, reincarnation and LOVE. NxM, RxH.
1. The New Student

Hey guys! I'm back to writing :O I know, it has been such a long time since I've updated my other stories. I've been preoccupied with school work and stuff so I haven't had time to write. : Anyway, this is a new story of mine (I think I'll be focusing on this one more since I've been working on it frequently during my free time and I've already planned out the chapters!) and it's called The Song of Flames. I hope you guys like it. Reviews are highly appreciated. Tenkshoo (:

**Dedications **

To my **family, friends, fanfiction friends and reviewers** – I love you all. .

To **GOD**. Where would I be without Him?

And to **YOU**, reader. Thanks for taking the time to open this page up. Love you.

My inspirations for this story: **SOFIE **(Who fell in love with Natsume. Haha. You may not realize it but you inspired me A LOT) **CUTEGABRIELLE16 **(My long lost sister. Haha. GO MCR!) and **DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL **(This band rocks hard!)

**Disclaimer**

Isn't it obvious that I don't own GA?

--

The Song of Flames

Written by Keiko Oda

Chapter One: The New Student!

--

_They say the eyes are windows to the soul… _

_Flash. _

"_Don't be afraid" _

_I took his hand and gazed upon those ruby eyes of his. The song of flames had begun, and we were being engulfed in white fire. _

"_We'll end this" _

_He put his lips to mine as I watched the flames rise, I clutched his sleeve for support as the hot wind whipped us both. The fire was now spinning around like a tornado, destroying anything it could get its strong blows on. _

_Then, the twister of flames ceased and exploded. I could hear the phoenixes' cries as they finished up the last and final melody of the flame song. Tears ran down my eyes as I breathed my last breaths. _

_It was over. We had ended it. _

_And began a new beginning. _

--

Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc.

The school was as silent as ever. Only the sound of the bell tower clock ticking away could be heard. No one dared to disturb the serene corridors. Everyone was in their respective classrooms.

EVERYONE except for ONE girl.

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Her high pitched voice echoed throughout the hallway, waking up the idle students who were secretly half asleep in their classrooms. The teachers dropped their chalk and watched that certain girl dash through the hall, her pigtails flying.

Those brown orbs of hers had immeasurable eyebags from last night's movie marathon, her uniform was crumpled and her socks didn't match. One was pink and one was white. Sigh. Mikan Sakura, how will you EVER survive high school?

The fifteen year old stopped to catch her breath as she leaned against her classroom door, panting like an exhausted bloodhound.

"Ne…I hope Jinno-sensei doesn't kill me. This is my ninth tardy in two weeks!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and slid the door open.

Jinno-sensei was standing face-to-face with her. He stared at her crossly, tapping his foot impatiently. The classroom was silent, everyone was staring at her. Jinno's frog croaked, breaking the silence.

"Sensei…?"

--

"Sakura-san, are you walking home with us?" some of Mikan's classmates said, as they watched Mikan cover the blackboard in "I will not be tardy again" sentences in white chalk a hundred times.

Mikan sighed heavily. "Nope. Jinno-sensei is punishing me"

She lowered her eyes. "You've got too much late records, Sakura Mikan. You have to be disciplined!" she groaned, mocking her adviser angrily. "Ooohhh. How I wish I could strangle you!" she muttered, breaking the chalk she was holding in half.

"That's too bad. We were wondering if you'd like to watch a movie with us" Nonoko said, taking her bag.

Mikan looked at her, rather sadly. "Maybe next time"

The brunette watched them leave the classroom and shut the door. She waited until their footsteps disappeared into the end of the hallway. That's what poor Mikan didn't have. True friends. She was downright lonely.

Of course she had her classmates. But that was different. There was nobody _real _enough she could talk to. Nobody _close _enough to hang out with. And there was nobody she could ever _love. _

The autumn sunset sparkled out the window and Mikan put down the chalk and gazed upon it. She noticed a flock of birds fly across the sun, or rather beside it.

She squinted her eyes. Were they really birds?

Mikan studied the structure of the birds. They were not like the usual birds that lived in Japan. They were gigantic birds with wingspans of small jets. Mikan could've sworn that they had a tail of flames flickering behind them. They reminded of her of those mythical birds she had read in books. They're called phoenixes. But they were just a story. They didn't exist.

Mikan left school and took the train back home. She lived in a small but comfortable house, it was only her and her goldfish who lived there. She had a grandfather, and yes, she loved him very much but he was all the way in Tokyo. And here she was, alone in a small house in Akita. Perfect.

She heated up some leftovers and ate them for dinner while watching a TV show about polar bears. She did the washing up and went to the room to do her Science project. By midnight, she grew sleepy and undressed and went to bed and dreamed.

She dreamed of those birds she saw earlier. The phoenixes. She was flying with them, in the midmorning sun. And they stared at her with curious golden eyes that were the size of watermelons. One of the phoenixes was white with electric blue eyes. And it stayed away from the sun and flew off quietly into the horizon. Mikan watched the birds follow that white bird and the dream ended there.

--

The morning after had a slight drizzle of rain so Mikan wore her new jacket on the way to school.

For once, she was early. She promised herself never to be late again after the incident yesterday. She sat down on her desk and studied a bit, waiting for her classmates to arrive. She was in a depressed mood and kept quiet, her nose buried in her book. She waited for someone to talk to her but nobody did. Then the teacher came into the classroom and class had begun.

"Today," he thundered. "You'll be having a new classmate join you this semester. He's a transferee from China. I'm sure you'll make him feel at home!"

The girls of the class (except Mikan for she was half asleep) began buzzing with excitement. Jinno-sensei said HE. So he's a guy! And that really put the girls into a hyper frame of mind since they started creating fantasies about how he looked like, what his eye color was and his possible hobbies. They were ecstatic.

Jinno-sensei wrote on the chalkboard:

**HYUUGA NATSUME**

The class fell silent as they heard footsteps approach the classroom door. They were anticipating his arrival. The boys gulped. What if they lost their girlfriends today?! Everyone's hearts raced as the footsteps ceased.

The door slid open.

Mikan immediately awoke from her daydreaming and read the name on the board.

In stepped a pale raven-haired boy with ruby colored eyes. His hair was quite messy and his uniform was crumpled and slightly unbuttoned. He had the typical bad-boy look. The girls loved it. The boys hated it.

Mikan stared at him, studying those crimson eyes that struck her so.

Then, the guy turned to her and stared at her maliciously.

Mikan froze. She could've sworn she has seen those eyes before.

"I'm from Beijing" he murmured.

The girls began hyperventilating. He had an amazing Japanese accent and rocked at speaking the language too!

"Please make him feel welcome" Jinno-sensei said. The girls nodded immediately.

Natsume was told to pick a seat. And he chose a seat not far from Mikan's. Mikan could feel him stare at her as he walked to his desk, shooting a deathly scowl at her. Maybe she was just paranoid or maybe he was staring at her. She didn't really know. She was scared to look at those eyes of his and she didn't know why.

Mikan looked out the window. "Hyuuga Natsume"

--

This Natsume guy didn't socialize much. He never participated in class and disappeared during lunch. When Mikan came to the classroom after breaks, he was there in his seat. Reading manga.

During class especially math, Mikan would spend her idle moments staring at her classmates. Natsume was one of them. She would study his wispy black hair and those amazing eyes of his (seriously, she didn't know why she spent so much time on his eyes). And then he'd look at her and give her a murderous glare and Mikan would pretend she was looking at her paper.

Mikan began to get the feeling that he hated her.

And then one day, they had P.E

--

BREEP.

The class lined up into two lines. One line had the boys and one line had the girls.

Mikan had no one standing next to her at first and then the scent of ember filled the space next to her. Her gaze shifted to the right and standing next to her was Natsume, his arms crossed.

He glanced at her and Mikan immediately looked away, her cheeks heating up. Her heart had risen to her throat and she could feel it beating. It was so loud that she couldn't feel herself thinking.

"Okay," Miyanoshita-sensei said, tossing a volleyball at the person in front.

"We all know that we learned how to volley last week. So now, you're going to do pairs. Whoever's next to you shall be your partner!"

Mikan gulped. Oh no. Her fragile legs began trembling. Natsume was her partner.

_Why is my heart beating so fast? I've only met him a week ago and he hasn't spoken to me…but still…_

Mikan put her hands to her chest.

_I swear I've seen him before. I know it. _

--

"KYAA!!!"

The ball fell and rolled down to the woods that were next to the school building. Mikan slapped her head.

"I'm so stupid!"

She ran after the ball as it rolled, and then it stopped and slowly hit the trunk of a tree. Mikan got the ball and wiped her sweaty forehead with her t-shirt.

All of a sudden, scarlet leaves spread out in the air and Natsume stepped out of the opposite side of the tree, his hands in his pocket. He had a sly smirk on his face as he leaned towards Mikan.

He cupped her chin with his cold hands. "You're worse than I thought"

"W-what do you mean?" Mikan asked, as she took a whiff of his ember scent. It made her dizzy and she couldn't breathe. But she somewhat liked it, it was like a decadent sweet that she longed to have. Her eyes were affixed upon his smirking face. Her vision blurred and the scent of fire grew stronger. It was like a poison, a drug that was overwhelming her senses.

"I am…Hyuuga Natsume of the Red Fire Clan" he breathed.

Mikan gasped for air.

"And I am here…to kill you"

--

End of Chapter

--

That was the first chapter. I hope I did well. Reviews/comments are highly appreciated and accepted. If you have any questions about the story, you may PM me but I'm not giving away spoilers. Haha. Hope you enjoyed and see you in the next chapter!

Ja!

Kei-san


	2. Chapter 2

**THANK YOU**

Denii05, Star Sapphirex, Konnichiwa Minna, Yue-Ryo, younggem, twili, _nikz135_, cute-azn-angel, _Xian-pyon_, _FallOutGirl11_, Moon at Twilight, -Kate Dominquexalice-, _Aminatsu032, Shiori's Notebook_, flamecrest, _LuckywithToxic_, krizzia hidalgo, simple but special and Unfulfilled and _chihiro hiroshima_ for reviewing the first chapter. Your reviews made me REALLY happy. I thought no one would review because I was gone for such a long time. Anyway, thanks again! XD

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Gakuen Alice.

--

The Song of Flames

Chapter Two

By Keiko Oda

--

"_I am…Hyuuga Natsume of the Red Fire Clan" he breathed._

_Mikan gasped for air._

"_And I am here…to kill you"_

--

It happened so quickly.

Before the innocent fifteen year old knew it, her mind was clouded with the smell of smoke. She could feel the tips of the flames brush her skin and the smell of ember intoxicated her so and she couldn't perceive what was happening.

What was happening? Mikan felt too exhausted to even think about it. But she could hear the caw of a raven. No, it was louder than a raven. It was something else. Something more majestic than a plain old raven. Something grander. Something magical.

And through Mikan's blurred vision, she saw two gigantic wings spread out from the opposite side of where Natsume was standing. Mikan blinked, tears rolling down her eyes. It looked like one of those birds she had seen the other day. It was a **phoenix. **

And as that thought processed in her head, flickers of events began flashing in her mind.

There was a boy and a girl. And the two were being engulfed in huge flames of wind. They held each other very tightly, as if they will never let each other go – no matter how hard the flames tried to separate them both.

Then she heard a voice. It sounded like it came from the boy.

"This is the end" he breathed, holding the girl close. "But when I see you next time…"

The grip began loosening. "I won't let you die"

**I won't let you die. **

Mikan's eyes shot open. "I won't die" she uttered.

And then she said again, "You promised"

She didn't know why she said that, but she did.

And after she uttered those words, she felt the fire cease.

And she collapsed.

--

"_Is she alright?" _

"_Yes, she just fainted. She'll probably come by soon" _

"_What happened?" _

"_I don't know. We found her and the new student lying down – both suffering from second degree burns" _

"_That's really strange" _

Mikan opened her eyes slowly, she found herself in a white bed.

She couldn't distinguish the place because she could still feel the ember intoxicating her lungs. But after sometime, she realized she was in the school clinic because she could hear her classmates' murmurs from behind the curtain.

Mikan stirred a bit, still drowsy. She turned around and found Natsume, asleep on the bed next to hers.

He looked so serene when he was asleep. Unlike when he was awake, he looked completely innocent. It was unbelievable.

Mikan noticed there were a few ashes on the edge of the bed he was lying on.

_What was with this guy? _Mikan thought, examining the ashes.

"Guys! She's awake!" Nonoko said from behind the curtain.

The nurse pushed the curtain aside. "How are you feeling, Ms. Sakura?"

Mikan rubbed her head. She had a slight headache, but other than that she felt fine.

"What happened?" she inquired, for her head still felt fuzzy.

"You and Mr. Hyuuga were found lying down on the grass – both suffering from second-degree burns" the nurse said, with a perplexed expression on her face.

"How could've you gotten a burn?" Anna laughed. "You weren't around any flammable items"

Mikan sat up. _Flammable items? _

She turned to Natsume and all of a sudden, she saw a flicker of red stir inside the blanket.

Mikan blinked.

"Were you carrying any flammable items, Ms. Sakura?" the nurse asked.

The transfixed teenager simply shrugged.

"Maybe Natsume was"

--

For some weird reason, Mikan couldn't really remember what happened. She could remember though, the time she could see fire surround her, but after that – nothing more.

The day passed like a breeze and before Mikan knew it, it was dismissal time.

As she packed her stuff, she remembered Natsume.

"Ah…Koko-kun, have you seen Natsume?" she asked, looking at her classmate Koko who was busy arranging the papers.

"I think he's still in the clinic. I haven't seen him since what happened" Kokoroyomi replied, shrugging.

_Maybe…I should check up on him. _Mikan thought, placing her books inside her bag.

_Or maybe I shouldn't. _She contemplated, changing her mind.

Mikan closed her eyes and sighed.

"Why do I feel like I **HAVE **to see if he's alright? I bet he's doing fine! Plus, I've got homework to do!" Mikan groaned, kicking her desk.

Mikan shook her head, collected her things and left the classroom.

The hallway was silent. The only thing she could hear were her footsteps dragging across the hallway.

And then, she came by the clinic.

Mikan hesitated a bit. _Should I enter? What if he's not there? Why am I so concerned about him? _

She finally made up her mind and entered the room.

--

"Ms. Sakura!" the nurse said, surprised at Mikan's presence in the clinic.

"Umm…Is Natsume still here?" Mikan asked, clearing her throat.

"Yes. He's still sleeping." The nurse said, sighing.

Mikan placed her things on the bench. "Do you want me to take after?"

"What?"

"Umm…I can watch him if you want. You look tired"

"That's okay, Ms. Sakura. I'm fine, thanks"

Mikan nodded.

"Can I check on him?"

"Go ahead"

Mikan entered the room where the beds were. She drew the curtains and found Natsume still sleeping in the bed.

She took a footstool and sat beside him, resting her chin on her hand.

He looked so peaceful. The orangey sunlight cascaded upon the bed, making dust particles visible to the eye. Mikan smiled. She hated to admit it but this Natsume guy was downright attractive. From his jet black hair to his ruby eyes which were closed at the moment.

Mikan touched his hair and smiled. "Why do I feel like I've known you forever?"

Natsume stirred.

"What's wrong with me?" she whispered. "I've only met you recently"

Natsume stirred once more.

"I know you"

And at that moment, Natsume opened his eyes. Mikan jumped a bit but remained sitting.

He sat up and rubbed his head. He affixed his eyes on the fifteen year old.

"Oh. It's you" he said, scowling at her. "What are you doing here?!"

Mikan gulped. "I went to check on you"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "That wasn't necessary. I'm fine"

Mikan didn't say anything. She was distracted by the sound of her heartbeat.

The raven-haired boy stood up to get his jacket. And when he did, something fell out of his pocket.

It wasn't a cell phone or a wallet. It was something else.

It was a blue orb. The blue was the type of blue you'd see in fire.

For awhile Mikan thought it was a toy. But what would Natsume be doing with a toy?

The orb hit the corner of the room, casting the attention of Natsume who immediately froze.

"Damn" he muttered, staring at the orb.

"What's that?" Mikan asked.

"None of your business!" Natsume yelled, walking to the orb.

Mikan stood up from her stool and dashed for it. She took the orb into her hands. It was warm.

"What's this?! Some kind of **egg?" **Mikan asked, tapping the orb.

"Let go!!" Natsume demanded, trying to grab the orb from Mikan – but her grip was too firm.

"This isn't some kind of witchcraft thingy, is it?!" Mikan asked, still examining the curious object.

"Dammit! Let it go!!" Natsume yelled, taking Mikan's hands and began trying to free the orb from her grasp.

"STOP IT!" Mikan shouted, and all of a sudden she lost her balance and fell on top of Natsume.

_BOOGSH. _

"OUCH!!!" the fifteen year old yowled, bumping her head on Natsume's.

"STUPID!" Natsume hissed, his head hitting the wall.

Mikan opened her eyes and found herself centimeters away from Natsume's face. She could feel his warm breath breathing on her chin and his red eyes were affixed on hers.

And she could feel his **heartbeat**.

And it was just beating as fast as hers.

"Natsume…" she muttered.

And his heart beat faster.

"G-get off me" he said, his cheeks flushing.

And all at once, the orb began to flicker a yellowish light.

Natsume's eyes widened.

The light began filling the orb and then it began flashing numerous times.

"What's this?! Some kind of video game?!" Mikan yelled, watching the orb beginning to crack.

"I can't believe it!!" Natsume yelled.

And then the orb shattered into a thousand pieces. Blue shards of glass scattered around the room.

"What's happening???"

Then the light ceased. And Mikan saw something she thought she would NEVER ever see.

A phoenix, a young phoenix lay among the flames that the orb had left.

"How could've you woken it up?!" Natsume said, beads of sweat trickling down his temples.

The raven-haired boy stared at Mikan who was now dumbfounded as ever.

"I…I d-don't know…" Mikan stammered.

And that was the moment Mikan realized that she wasn't as ordinary as she thought she was.

--

Waha. If you don't get it, you will soon!! Haha. As you go through the chapters, it will get clearer and clearer. ANYWAY. Please leave a review. I'd appreciate it! Thanks! XD

Much love,

Keiko Oda XP


	3. The Train Incident

**Author's Note**

Hey guys. Sorry if I haven't been updating. I've been caught up with school activities. LOL. Anyway, hope you like this chappie. Thanks to the people who reviewed. I'm in a hurry right now so I'll skip this part. But you know who you are, so thanks! XD

**Disclaimer**

I do not own Gakuen Alice!

--

**The Song of Flames**

Written by Keiko Oda

_Chapter Three: The Train Incident_

--

_A phoenix, a young phoenix lay among the flames that the orb had left._

"_How could've you woken it up?!" Natsume said, beads of sweat trickling down his temples._

_The raven-haired boy stared at Mikan who was now dumbfounded as ever._

"_I…I d-don't know…" Mikan stammered._

_And that was the moment Mikan realized that she wasn't as ordinary as she thought she was._

--

The phoenix, covered in sticky black fluid tossed its head around. Small flames licked its body all around as the small red bird opened its eyes, revealing golden orbs that sparkled in the sunset. Tiny blue flames hissed beside it. Its feet were scarlet and orangey smoke puffed out of its nostrils like a cigar every time the phoenix exhaled. It was absolutely unbelievable.

Natsume bumped his head on the wall, silently cursing. "Oh no…" he muttered through his teeth.

He braced for Mikan's reaction. What would she say? He predicted something like "Oh my gosh! I'm going to tell everyone!" or "What the hell is that?!" or something like that. He shut his eyes, preparing for a headache when all of a sudden…

"IT'S SO CUTE!!!!" Mikan screeched.

Natsume immediately opened his eyes and found Mikan crawling playfully to it.

"What is it? Some kind of parrot?!" she said, staring at it with extreme delight.

Before Natsume could say anything, Mikan touched the tip of its beak. He heard a sizzle and Mikan immediately withdrew her hand. She placed her finger inside her mouth.

"It's so hot!!!"

Apparently, the idiot couldn't grasp what this creature was.

Natsume lost his patience. "Cause it's a **phoenix,** dummy!!!!!" he yelled, clenching his fists.

Mikan stopped and looked at him, her eyes wider than saucers.

She was about to say something when they were interrupted by the nurse.

"Is everything alright in here?" she asked, entering the room. "I thought I heard someone screaming."

Mikan was extremely surprised when the nurse walked right through the bird, as if it was a hologram. The nurse didn't even SEE it. It was like the phoenix was just some imaginary made-up thing that only she and Natsume could see. The phoenix didn't pay attention to the nurse either; it was busy licking off the sticky fluid that stuck to its orange feathers.

"You don't see it?" Mikan told the nurse, pointing to the phoenix.

"I beg your pardon…?" the nurse said, looking at Mikan cluelessly.

Natsume scowled at Mikan, which was another way of saying "keep your trap shut, idiot".

So Mikan did.

"Ummm…never mind." Mikan said, shaking her head. "I just thought I saw something"

The nurse gave a smile of uncertainty and felt Natsume's forehead.

"You seem to be alright. You can go home now. It's getting late" she said and walked through the phoenix again.

The nurse left the room and shut the door.

"She can't see it" Natsume said coolly. "Normal people can't see phoenixes"

"Normal people?" Mikan said softly. "I can see it though"

"Well that means you're not NORMAL, okay?!" Natsume replied with much irritation.

Mikan blinked.

"I'm Natsume Hyuuga of the Red Fire Clan, a bunch of fire breeders" Natsume said, sighing.

"We manipulate fire and breed animals that derive from it" he continued, looking at the phoenix.

Mikan cocked her head. "What?!"

Natsume shut his eyes. "Stupid. You'll find out someday"

He stood up. "I'm going home!"

--

As the two walked home, Mikan bombarded Natsume with various questions about phoenixes. He ignored them all and this irritated Mikan very much.

"Can you SHUT UP?" Natsume yelled, gritting his teeth. "God. You're so annoying"

"HEY. I'm just curious. It's normal!"

"Dummy" he murmured.

Silence.

"Why aren't you freaked out?" Natsume asked, leaning against a streetlight.

"What?" Mikan asked.

"Why aren't you freaked out…by the phoenix? I mean, I was expecting a ditz like you to freak out about complicated matters like these"

"Oh" Mikan said and paused for awhile to think.

"Well," she said. "I guess it's because I'm really happy that there are such things as **fairy tales**. It gives me hope. It's like…everything has their happy ending, you know. It's hard to explain but I'm sure you get it somehow" Mikan said, smiling.

Natsume felt his cheeks heat up a bit. But he shook it off.

"That is the dumbest thing I've EVER heard of" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Well how about you?! How come you came to, you know…'KILL ME'?" Mikan said, crossing her arms. "If that was a joke you were pulling then it wasn't very funny"

Natsume looked at the horizon and shook his head. "People,"

"They are greedy and selfish and corrupt. And they cannot take the fact that other people have power like them. They want to eliminate the ones they feel threatened by. They want to rule over creatures and dominate them" Natsume responded.

Mikan didn't understand what he meant. She doesn't grasp "deep ideas" so well.

The brunette simply shrugged. "I don't know what that meant but I can tell that you and I will become very good friends!"

Natsume smirked. "Don't count it, loser"

And with that, two bid farewell.

--

Meanwhile… 

"_It happened. We cannot let the two be together AGAIN or else the second generation of Fire Breeders will be eliminated. We must kill that girl while we can. Hyuuga is being too idiotic if we let him loose then he's just going to remember his past" A figure with auburn hair said, clenching his fists._

"_I didn't think we'd have to result to this" Another figure said, this time it had violet hair that ran down to her waist. _

"_Are you talking about…?" _

"_Yes," _

"_We're going to have to send a FIRE SPIRIT." _

--

"I now command you to release…POWERS!!!!"

Mikan stood in front of the mirror, her legs apart from each other and her hands spread out. Ever since last night's incident, she wanted to try out her newfound "powers" that she had and see if they were effective in some way.

Nothing came out.

"Jeez" Mikan said, pouting. "Where are you, powers?!"

She put on her uniform.

She closed her eyes once more. "POWERS. I command you to RELEASE!"

She opened her eyes. "Still nothing?"

Mikan pouted with frustration. "Fine. Be that way, powers! Be stubborn and stay inside of me. I hate you!"

The brunette kicked the mirror and sighed.

"I wish there was some way I could find out if my powers are really there"

--

Mikan slipped into the classroom, ignoring the stares of her suspicious classmates.

Misaki-sensei lowered his book and raised his eyebrow. Mikan smiled nervously.

"Overslept" she said, avoiding his eyes. She reached into her pocket and handed him her late slip. "Sorry, sensei"

She walked to her table and sat down, removing her Science book from her bag and placing it on the top of her desk. She looked at Natsume who was busy reading the lesson like a children's book. He made it look so easy and stupid by the way he would roll his eyes and scoff.

Mikan stared at him for awhile, admiring those features of his once more. They were so breathtaking that even she couldn't help but think highly of those crimson eyes and jet black hair that fell down to his neck like seaweed.

Natsume turned to her. "Stop staring at me, doofus" he mouthed and returned to reading.

Mikan smiled a bit and laughed.

She really liked Natsume and didn't know why.

--

Hours passed. After Math (which Mikan slept in) was lunch break.

As Mikan fixed her stuff, Natsume stood next to her. "That was very dumb of you"

"Dumb of me…?" Mikan said, still looking at her stuff.

"You fell asleep during Math period" Natsume replied, looking at her in disgust.

"It's not my fault it was boring! Wait…_you were looking at me_?" Mikan said, raising her head.

Natsume turned slight pink and clenched his fists. "You're being annoying again" he said, immediately covering up.

"You're the one being annoying" Mikan said, pouting. "Can I eat lunch with you?"

"Eat lunch with me?" Natsume said, raising his eyebrow.

Mikan nodded like a thirsty dog.

"Forget it," Natsume muttered. "I don't eat with losers like you"

"Meanie!" Mikan yelled as the raven-haired boy walked out of the classroom. "I HATE YOU!"

--

Even though Mikan was very well-liked in her batch, she wasn't part of any group. She ate alone most of the time, often in the corner of the cafeteria. And she would watch the popular groups pass by. Mikan felt sad about it but she somewhat got used to it.

As Mikan claimed her spot in the cafeteria, she saw Sumire Shouda.

Sumire Shouda was the most popular girl in the batch. She had emerald green eyes and a short black bob as a haircut. She was very pretty but she had one of the nastiest personalities ever. She was part of the volleyball varsity, the cheerleading squad and the math team but what fascinated Mikan the most was that her family owned fourteen cats and ten dogs.

Mikan saw Natsume. He was buying a can of coke. And after he did so, he headed for outside – brushing past Sumire's table.

"OH. Natsume!" Sumire said, immediately standing up. There was silence in the cafeteria.

"What?" Natsume murmured, looking at her. She was quite short compared to him.

Sumire giggled and bit her lip. "Well, I…we were wondering if you'd like to have lunch with us. You know, since you're the new student – maybe you'd like to know the ropes around the school"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "I don't care. No"

The cafeteria began buzzing with excitement. Someone just rejected Sumire!

"But…but…nobody's ever rejected my invitations to eat with them!" Sumire said, turning red.

"There's a first time for everything" Natsume murmured and left the cafeteria.

Sumire sat down and crossed her arms. "He must be joking! It's so obvious he's playing hard-to-get! All new students are like that! He's obviously into me!"

Mikan laughed and stood up, following Natsume outside.

--

She saw him sitting under the Sakura tree, sipping his Coke.

"Natsume-kun!" Mikan yelled, calling his attention.

The raven-haired boy glanced at her. "Not you again!" he said, exasperated.

"You really humiliated Sumire-kun! Good job on that!" Mikan smiled, running up to him.

"Yeah, whatever" Natsume responded. "What are you doing here?"

Mikan didn't reply.

"Where's the phoenix?" she asked him, grinning.

Natsume took out a red orb from his pocket.

"Didn't it hatch already?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "It DID. This is just his…"house""

Mikan watched him as he tapped his finger on the orb and it then burst into flames. Natsume didn't let go of it, he wasn't getting burned in the first place. The orb then disintegrated into ashes and the baby phoenix emerged out.

"Oh my gosh! It's even cuter than before!" Mikan said, immediately taking it into her arms.

"Phoenixes aren't supposed to be CUTE" Natsume replied, taking disgust into the last word.

Mikan ran her fingers through its cherry-red feathers and smiled.

Natsume leaned his head on the tree, watching her play with the bird as it cawed with thrill.

Mikan fell on the grass, laughing as the bird pecked on her head. Her honey-colored locks spread on the ground and her sun-kissed skin turned red with laughter.

Natsume smirked.

"Oy" he said, tapping her on her ankle.

"W-w-what?!" she said, still laughing.

"Never knew you wore **blueberries**" Natsume said.

It took awhile for Mikan to process on what that meant. And then, she immediately stood up and put the phoenix aside.

"PERVERT!!!!!!!!!" She yelled, turning tomato red. She stood up. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!!!"

Natsume raised his eyebrow.

Flustered, Mikan stood up and stomped away.

"Baka" Natsume muttered and closed his eyes, placing his manga over his face.

--

DING. DONG. DING.

The school day was over.

"Grrr…" Mikan said, walking out of the building.

"That pervert. I can't believe he actually looked at my…"

She clenched her fists. "If I could KILL him – I would!"

Mikan walked to the subway. The village she lived in had quite a distance from the city so Mikan often took the subway to get there. She was planning to buy some groceries after school that day so she walked to the station.

The brunette kicked a pile of crimson, orange and brown wrinkled leaves up in the air. Autumn was wonderful. Mikan loved the rushes of cold air brushing against her, the crispy orange leaves below her feet, the cawing of birds that are migrating south and everything else that just spelled out AUTUMN. It was simply magical.

When Mikan arrived at the subway, she was surprised to find it empty. There was nobody there. Not at all.

Mikan's footsteps echoed as she went down the stairs.

Mikan began to feel uneasy. The subway was usually packed with people. Sometimes, she had to push her way through the crowd. But now…

WHOOSH.

A gust of wind blew on her, messing up her hair and crumpling up her uniform.

Mikan's heart raced. _Maybe I shouldn't be here…_

And then, a train arrived.

There was nobody there. Nobody at all. But Mikan could hear people coming out. She could hear murmurs and footsteps and echoes. And she could hear children laughing and someone spilling juice. It was as if there WERE people, but she just couldn't see them.

The train seemed to coax her to come in. Mikan sighed and went inside. And as soon as she went into the train, the doors slammed shut.

Mikan sat down and looked around. The train was hotter than usual. And it smelled of barbecue.

The teenager thought maybe they had turned the heater up.

And in a split second, the train raced out like a rollercoaster. Mikan fell to the other side of the train, her head slamming against the wall.

BOOGSH!

"What's happening?!" Mikan said, rubbing her head. She looked up at the wall, expecting an advertisement to be hung up there. But instead, it was a graffiti of a fire that looked like a woman. And the graffiti began shining and then…

And then the drawing came to life and jumped out of the wall. It looked like a woman, but it was made of fire. And its eyes were blue and those "eyes" were secreting a certain waxy liquid that made the spirit look like it was wearing blue-green mascara.

What is this?! Mikan thought. It certainly WASN'T a phoenix.

The spirit lunged at her, striking several hot blows on her. It was like she was being struck by hot winds, the type you'd feel if you placed your hand above a candle – only much stronger and faster.

And all of a sudden…

The door of the train flew open, and a burst of fire came in and slammed itself on the spirit. The spirit screeched and fell on one of the seats.

The burst of fire died down and became a familiar raven-haired boy. It was Natsume.

He had burns and scratches on his uniform. Blood trickled down the side of his left temple. He clutched his heavy sword in his hands, staring at the spirit in fury.

"WHO SENT YOU?!" He yelled, putting up his sword.

The spirit howled. And gave Natsume a dagger look.

Mikan stared at the two of them in awe, dizzy from what happened. Her legs felt numb and her arms felt like they had been burned.

The spirit raised its arms and dashed for Natsume. The raven-haired boy jumped but fell on the spirit, his back catching fire. He then collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.

"NATSUME-KUN!" Mikan yelled and ran to Natsume to help him up.

She stroked his forehead. "Natsume-kun, are you alright?!"

Natsume closed his eyes. "Dammit. Do you think I'm alright?!"

Mikan glared at him and looked at the spirit who was now staring at her hungrily. It howled again, deafening Mikan's ears.

_I'll take you down, whatever you are. _Mikan thought, placing her hands over Natsume.

The spirit then went for her, a burst of fire setting half of the train on fire.

Mikan closed her eyes. _Don't hurt Natsume-kun!!!! _

And with that, a white barrier blocked the spirit from attacking Mikan. The spirit howled and began fighting the barrier, hitting it with every strike it could blow. Flames shot on the barrier, but alas – it was no use.

The spirit gave up and fell on its back, selfdestructing.

It was like a nuclear-explosion. The train burst into flames and exploded. Fire shot up in the air, and balls of wind blasted into the sky. The next thing Mikan knew, she was falling. They were in the sky. And Mikan saw the remnants of the train fall helplessly on the ground, exploding when it did so.

And all of a sudden, she fell onto a feathery thing. Mikan looked and saw it was Natsume's phoenix – and it was probably ten times bigger than the last time she saw it.

"FIRE SPIRIT!! BE SEALED!!!" Natsume yelled. But Mikan didn't see him. She only heard him.

_Fire Spirit? _

--

"What's a fire spirit?" Mikan asked when she got down. She saw Natsume lying down on the park bench.

"None of your business" Natsume breathed.

Mikan sat next to him. "Oh come on, you can tell me"

"They are…" Natsume said, inhaling. "They're evil spirits that manipulate or take the form of fire and they are servants to whoever freed them. I thought my clan had sealed them away years ago – but I guess they are back. Someone had said the incantation to bring them back. And I have a feeling they were sent to kill me"

Mikan didn't say anything.

After awhile, she simply cocked her head at him. "Your life is very complicated, Natsume-kun."

"It is" he said, sighing. "We were in a parallel world awhile ago – when we were fighting that fire spirit. So the normal subway must be alright"

"But why would anyone want to kill you?"

Natsume closed his eyes. "Maybe because I disobeyed their orders…"

But Mikan could tell that he was talking to himself. So she simply shrugged it off.

Mikan gazed upon the stars. "Natsume-kun,"

"What?"

"Do you think we'll become good friends someday?"

Natsume remained silent.

Mikan definitely took that as a yes.

--

HAHA! HOPE YOU LIKED IT!!! THANK YOU!!!!


	4. Blue Orbs

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Hey! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the previous chapter. Thank you to the people who reviewed the previous chapter: simplebutspecial, -KateDominiqueXAlice-, younggem, tensai-Chibi, JC-zala, Caritate, melissa1995, Tangerine Princess, cute-azn-angel, Konnichiwa Minna, Glynchan, Fallen Raindrops, _nikz135_, Star Sapphirex, denii05, Lady-Von-Bielefeld! Your reviews made me happy, thank you! 

Sorry if the previous chapter lacked detail. I was in kind of a hurry when I was writing that and I was tired from school. Haha! And sorry if the plot or something is still unclear – I promise you guys that I will explain it as the story progresses.

**DISCLAIMER**

It's CLEARLY impossible that I will EVER own Gakuen Alice.

--

The Song of Flames

Written by Keiko Oda

Chapter Four: Blue Orbs

--

…And he held me close.

I couldn't see who I was hugging. I could only see the silhouette of a boy and the stars that glimmered above him. And I could feel the cold autumn wind softly nudge me. I closed my eyes.

I felt a tear stream down my cheek and onto his arm.

"Are we…are we going to _die_?" I asked, biting my lip.

I felt him shrug.

"Are we?" I asked again

"I…I don't know" he replied, with a tone of sadness in his voice. "I really don't know"

And then I woke up.

--

Mikan's POV

"Another dream," I groaned, getting out of bed. "I've been getting the WEIRDEST dreams lately"

No, seriously. I have.

I've been getting weird dreams that involved some "mystery guy" in it. In those dreams, I act as if I'm madly in love with that guy. And the setting is always probably in the times where people used to wear those kimonos and don't have TV yet. You know, the time with those samurais and stuff. I don't know what it's exactly called but those are my dreams. And they're really WEIRD.

I stood up and walked to the kitchen. It was another lonely weekend. A weekend with nobody to talk to, nobody to go out with, nobody to see…just NOBODY. I'm always alone during weekends. But I guess I've gotten pretty used to it.

I was lazy to cook breakfast for myself. I had cereal for breakfast. I really like the kiddy cereal. You know the ones that have high sugar content and have a plastic toy in the bottom. Especially Strawberry Cubes! They're so good! They also turn the milk PINK.

I had breakfast while I watched TV. The programs in the morning were pretty boring. But I watched them anyway. I was able to get hold of a comedy in channel forty-eight but it was too bad that it was the end of the program already. The next show was a debate about whether fruits were healthy for you and it was really boring. So I turned off the TV and did the washing up.

I took a shower after that and I took time in drying my hair. Afterwards, I read some magazines on my bed and then after that, I did nothing at all but stare at my pale pink ceiling – thinking about Natsume.

There was something about that loser that somehow made me want to think about him the whole time. Maybe it was those eyes of his. Those were one of his striking features.

Wait.

ONE OF his striking features?

So that means there are more!

I then gently bumped my head on the wall.

_Get a grip. _I thought, burying my face on the pillow. _He's a pervert. _

_This is no use. _I thought. _I should probably go out and buy groceries. I couldn't buy them the last time. _

I stood up and walked to my closet. I picked out my pretty velvet sweater that had tiny stars all over it and some jeans. I left my hair down since I was too lazy to fix it and I put on some sneakers. I took out my umbrella in case it would rain and I took some money from my money box and inserted them into my wallet.

I dumped all my essentials into a green bag and left the house.

I was quite hesitant to go to the subway after yesterday's incident so I walked to the bus stop instead. It had been a long time since I've taken the bus so it excited me.

The weather was colder than usual. And I made my walk more fun by kicking up the leaves and stepping on the frozen puddles. I slipped on one of them – I think I got a bruise.

I got on the next bus and sat in front.

I leaned my head against the window. And then I fell asleep again.

--

I had one of those dreams again. But now that I think about it, I can't remember. But I know it had something to do with white flames rising up into the sky, and I remember that there were people screaming. But I wasn't one of them. I clearly remember that I was surrounded by those white flames, but I wasn't getting hurt. I think I was the source of the white fire.

I got off the bus stop and walked to the supermarket.

The supermarket was PACKED. It was full of moms – some were dragging along their toddler kids and some looked drained and exhausted. And there were grandmas too. I was the only teenager there. Probably because all the teens were out with their friends today – but who cares?

I was in the pasta section – debating whether I should get angel-hair or the fettuccini when I bumped into another cart.

"OH. I'm sorry! It was an accident" I immediately said. I looked who was behind the cart.

It was my batch mate. Imai Hotaru.

She was in III-A. I was only classmates with her once – when we were grade four. But I never really talked to her. She was always minding her camera and she's very quiet. She was president of the Photography Club. I've seen her photography work and it's really good. She's a pro. She also works for the school newspaper. And she's very smart. She gets straight A's all the time. I love her violet eyes. They're so pretty…but they look lonely too.

She tucked her short black hair behind her ear.

"I haven't seen you in quite awhile, Mikan. What have you been up to?" she asked, taking a pack of angel-hair from the rack.

When she said that, my heart simply stopped. What have I been up to? What kind of question is that?!

I began to feel anxious. I remembered yesterday's train event and the day I released Natsume-kun's phoenix. Was it possible that she knew about it? Did Natsume-kun tell her?!

I bit my lip, I could feel my heartbeat.

"I-I've been d-doing fine" I stuttered, clutching the handle of my cart tightly. I didn't answer her question!

"Is that so?" Hotaru said, giving a tiny smile. "I guess I'll be seeing you around campus"

I nodded vigorously, took a pack of pasta (I didn't care which one was it!) and dashed off.

I could feel Hotaru's dark purple eyes stare at me like I was an idiot.

Hotaru's smart. She's very smart.

And then that's when I started to worry. She probably suspects something now.

--

When I got home, I placed the groceries on the kitchen counter and plopped on the sofa. I removed my shoes. My feet were killing me!

All of a sudden, I heard a noise coming from the empty lot behind my house. It sounded like someone was testing explosives outside. I could hear a KABOOM! and a KABLAM! And I could smell smoke seeping into the house! I got my slippers and ran out to see who was up to this mess!

I went over my fence and found Natsume throwing blue orbs around the lot and watching it hiss like a grenade and then explode like a small bomb!

"Natsume-kun!" I yelled, running towards him.

He saw me and rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he said, his tone full of annoyance.

"I live there" I said, pointing to my house. "But shouldn't I ask you the same question?"

Natsume raised his eyebrows. "I'm training"

"Training? For what?" I asked, peering into his bag. They were full of blue orbs similar to the ones he was throwing.

"Look, it's none of your business. Get out of here, loser!" Natsume hissed.

"NO" I said flatly and took out a blue orb and studied it carefully. "Tell me what you're doing"

"Jeez. You're so NOSY" Natsume growled. "I'm training. A warrior needs to train so he can remain fit and stuff, get it?"

"Yeah, I get it" I said, nodding slowly. "Can I train too?!"

"Train?! You're not even a damn warrior!" Natsume said, finding the whole idea ridiculous.

"I know," I said, giving a smile. "But I have POWERS. And I think I'm just like you. So that gives me a good enough reason to train, right?"

"Shut up"

He began jogging. UGH. It was so annoying.

I threw a blue orb at him and it exploded like a water balloon landing on a rocky surface.

Fire blazed out and surrounded him. "YOU IDIOT!" He yelled and ran out of the ring of flames.

"You don't even know HOW to use those!" He said, immediately zipping up the bag that was stuffed with blue orbs.

"I will KNOW when I practice!" I shouted.

"Who said I will even let you practice?! You unbearable little…"

And then I turned away for I saw something that looked more interesting than dirty old orbs. It was a golden bow and arrow. It was so pretty! The bow had some ethnic-looking engraving on it and it glimmered under the sunshine. The arrow was silver and the tip was blood-red. It was so amazing.

I picked it up and inserted the arrow into the bow.

"Don't do that!" Natsume yelled, running to me.

"NO" I said again and then let the arrow go.

I was frustrated. It just fell like a helpless toy.

"Stupid" Natsume said, rolling his eyes. "Fine, I'll teach you"

He then picked the arrow up and stood behind me.

And then what he did was so…I don't know, uncomfortable?

He held me by the waist and then slipped his hand next to my arm. He took my hand and positioned it to the right angle I should be holding in it. I could feel his breath down my neck and it tickled my earlobe. I could feel my heart race like a horse but I tried to control it cause I surely didn't want him to feel it. It would be so embarrassing!

Then before I knew it, the arrow was soaring up into the air and went into the bark of a tree.

"There" he said softly. I faced him with a dumb expression on my face.

"Cool" I said, scratching the back of my head.

Then I looked at him for awhile and he looked down at me as well. And we both stared at each other.

I wanted to say something to him to break the silence. But I didn't know what to say or how to say it. Because I knew at times like these, I'd end up getting tongue-tied and making a complete fool out of myself.

I felt myself blush. Oh God, I'm so stupid. I don't even LIKE this guy. I don't even KNOW him very well.

"Uh…" I said, biting my lip. "Do you want to, you know – have lunch with me?"

I was expecting him to throw one of his blue orbs at me but he didn't.

"Whatever" he said, taking his bag.

"Is that a yes?"

Natsume smirked at my innocence.

"Well, it wasn't a NO"

--

The pasta boiled. I could hear the water bubbling and I could feel the heat of the water on my face. I stared at the pasta, looking so weak and vulnerable inside the pot of boiling water.

That was what Natsume was exactly doing to me.

I don't LIKE him but for some strange reason, he makes my knees weak and he makes my heart beat as fast as it could go and he makes my cheeks flush like an idiot. It's the same thing with boiling. Natsume simply BOILS me so much that it makes me want to just melt and fall into the bottom of it all. He's so weird and I don't know why.

I went out of the kitchen to fetch the rest of the groceries in the living room.

Natsume was there.

"OH MY GOD!" I yelled, putting my hands over my eyes.

Oh what a good time for that guy to change his t-shirt!

"What's the problem?" Natsume asked coolly, looking for a shirt in his bag. "I'm sweaty"

"Yes…but…EVER HEARD OF A BATHROOM TO CHANGE IN?!" I yelled, turning tomato red.

"YOU CAN'T JUST CHANGE IN A PERSON'S HOUSE LIKE THAT!"

Natsume didn't say anything.

I went for the rest of the groceries, one hand still covering my eyes and stormed back into the kitchen.

--

"So is it good?" I asked, watching Natsume pick at his pasta.

I made pasta with meat sauce. I found it really good. I even sprinkled parmesan cheese on it as I cooked it. But Natsume seemed bored with it and tossed it around the plate.

"It sucks" Natsume said dryly.

My face reddened. "JERK!" I yelled.

"Do you want me to throw my plate at you?!" I shouted, picking up my plate and standing up.

Natsume simply shrugged. "Go ahead. But I'm just saying, I don't have an extra shirt this time"

I then placed the plate down. I couldn't afford to see him LIKE THAT again. My cheeks flushed into a bright pink color. I think Natsume saw the way I flushed since he gave a sly smirk.

Natsume began eating the pasta. I kind of smiled.

That was his way of saying it was good!

--

After lunch, I did the washing up and followed Natsume back to training. He didn't complain when I tried to "train" a long with him too. He wasn't even paying attention to me. He was focused on twirling that giant sword of his around.

"Natsume-kun," I said, watching him toy with his sword.

"What's the Red Fire Clan?" I asked.

"The Red Fire Clan?" he said, still caught up with his sword.

I didn't respond.

"The Red Fire Clan is an ancient people that are fire breeders. You know, people who know how to manipulate fire and train beasts that descend from it"

"Uh-huh"

"There's the Blue Fire Clan" he said, looking at me dead in the eye.

"They're like us too. Only their phoenixes are blue and they're better in manipulating the blue flames. These two clans have been in war for such a long time. Because they're greedy. We're greedy"

"What made you guys fight?"

"Two people – they found phoenixes. A blue phoenix and a red phoenix"

"And each person claimed one phoenix. And they tamed them. And that's how the Blue Fire Clan and the Red Fire Clan began, but then we went to war because the other wanted the other's phoenix too. Get my drift?"

I nodded.

"But there was a prophecy…"

I noticed that he had left one of his blue orbs on the ground. So I picked it up.

"Wait, before you explain the prophecy thingie – here, it might get lost and someone might find it"

Natsume took it and threw it into his bag.

BAD thing to do.

All at once, the orb exploded. No, not into flames like you'd expect. But a Fire Spirit.

It looked exactly like the one in the train but it had a blue gem on its forehead.

_Damn! It's from the Blue Fire Clan! _Natsume thought, when he saw the blue gem sparkling.

He took out his sword and pointed it at the chin of the spirit. "Kazami-kun sent you?!"

_Who's Kazami-kun?_ I thought.

The spirit didn't say anything. It just stared at Natsume like he was something to eat.

"He did, didn't he?" Natsume said through his teeth.

The spirit's expression changed. A few seconds ago it looked angry. But now it looked FURIOUS.

It went for me. I could feel it zooming towards me, it's mouth wide open – showing off its millions of blue fangs. It had long white hair that ended in flames and its legs made up of fire as well. Its hands had long electric blue nails that looked like it could slice through metal.

It took me half a second to decide what to do. Stupidly, I just jumped.

But it wasn't an ordinary jump. I jumped ten times higher than I usually jumped. I could feel adrenalin invigorate my body as I looked down at the ground which was now so far away. I thought I was going to crash-land, I could feel small flames of blue fire nip at me like a small dog.

Natsume caught me. And he seemed to cradle me in his arms while he sliced through the spirit with his sword.

_Natsume-kun… _

The spirit regenerated and it grew angrier. Red flames shot up in the air like a propeller.

"How could it produce red flames when it was sent from the Blue Fire Clan?" Natsume muttered.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

He set me down and began to fight it once more. I ran for his bag and found the blue orbs. I took one. I hoped it wasn't another Fire Spirit or else Natsume would REALLY kill me (As well as the fire spirit!). But I had to take a chance.

As I took the blue orb into my hands, its color changed. It became white. It now looked like a giant pearl.

I didn't care. I couldn't waste any more time. I threw the orb at the Fire Spirit.

Huge white flames spun into the air, tangling the Fire Spirit within it. I could hear the Fire Spirit yell as it twisted and twirled inside the huge white top that the white fire created. The sky turned bright orange and the Fire Spirit flew into the sky, the huge top tailing it.

And then, I heard a thundering boom in the sky and it began to rain.

It began to rain small blue flames and small shards of turquoise glass that were probably the remnants of the blue orb.

Natsume looked up at the sky.

"Not bad, Polka-Dots" he said, stepping on the blue flames.

--

I walked Natsume to the sidewalk after we cleaned up the lot.

Before he left, he looked at me with a perplexed look on his face.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing" he responded. "I just wonder…"

"Wonder…?"

"Who exactly are you? Why do you have powers? There are so many dumb things I don't understand about you"

I laughed.

"Natsume-kun, how should I know?! I should be asking YOU the question since you're the one who's the expert on the whole Fire-breeding thingy" I said, giggling.

Natsume felt dumb. I could sense it.

There was a pause.

"Natsume-kun, thank you for staying me today. This was one of, if not FIRST time someone actually spent time with me during a Saturday. I'm usually alone during weekends. My Jii-chan doesn't live here you see…so I'm alone"

And I sighed. "Not only on weekends, if I think about it"

Natsume stared at me so long that I began to think he was hesitant to even leave me alone. He had a longing expression, you know – the type of expression that you get when you want something so bad but you just can't have it. Yeah, that was his expression. But I didn't know why he had that. He was probably just tired.

"Goodbye, Natsume-kun" I said, waving my hand.

He nodded and turned away.

And the day ended.

--

MEANWHILE…(NORMAL POV!)

A blonde boy sat on the branch of the tree next to Mikan's house. He was stroking a white rabbit in his arms.

"Sakura Mikan…"

He breathed.

"I have come for you"

--

Haha! Hope you liked this chapter! Please leave a review! Thanks! Bye, guys! Love lots!

PS: Happy Birthday to one of my best friends, LuckywithToxic! Oh no! I have to get her a gift! XD


	5. Ruka Nogi

**Author's Note**

Sorry for the late update! I was busy with exams and other stuff! Haha! Anyway, I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. Thank you to the people who reviewed:

GlYnChAn, JC-zala, Caritate, melissa1995, Fallen Raindrops, Lady-von-Bielefeld, cute-azn-angel, Cupid's Diary, nikz135, Star Sapphirex, simplebutspecial, denii05, Konnichiwa Minna, Unfulfilled, Elemental Mummy, Sie the Story Eater, -KateDominqueXalice-, tensai-Chibi, forchan, chihiro hiroshima! Your reviews made me happy and I hope this chapter makes you happy as well (: If I forgot anyone

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Gakuen Alice

**Warning**

Slight OOC-ness will be featured in this chapter. You've been warned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**The Song of Flames**

[[_Chapter Five: Nogi Ruka _

By Keiko Oda 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A blonde boy sat on the branch of the tree next to Mikan's house. He was stroking a white rabbit in his arms._

"_Sakura Mikan…"_

_He breathed._

"_I have come for you"_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"_Today will be RAINY with a few THUNDERSTORMS here and there. So get your umbrellas out, Akita! We'll be experiencing rain the whole day! Sunrise will probably be at eight in the morning and sunset will arrive at five in the afternoon! And now we'll be…" _

Mikan turned the television off and put the dishes in the sink.

"Hayyy…I don't like it when it rains" she sighed, putting on a pair of stockings. "It messes up my day"

She slipped on her school shoes and put on the school winter coat. She tied up her hair and left the house.

The air felt icy around Mikan's neck. She could feel the soggy orange leaves crunching below her shoes and…

All of a sudden, Mikan heard a roar of thunder and a crack of lightning somewhere in between those sad gloomy clouds chained together.

_Oh no. _Mikan thought, gritting her teeth. And with that, it began raining.

Mikan helplessly rummaged through her bag for her umbrella. But apparently, she had left it at home. And due to her rush, she dropped her bag and the contents in it.

"Oh Lord. This is just my day!" Mikan grunted, squatting down and picking up the drenched items whilst getting wet herself.

"Damn right it is" somebody said.

Mikan then felt the rain stop wetting her. She looked up and found Natsume smirking above her, covering her with a red and black umbrella.

"Natsume-kun!" Mikan exclaimed, her eyes widening. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, you're not the only one who goes to school" he replied, watching Mikan get up with her bag in her arms.

"Oh. Right" Mikan laughed. Natsume simply eyed her.

There was an awkward silence as the two stared at each other.

"I guess…we should get to school now" the embarrassed fifteen year old said, laughing nervously. She had never been _alone _with a guy under the rain. No. She had never been _alone _with NATSUME under the rain. And the fact that it was Natsume who she was under the same umbrella with made her heart beat faster.

Natsume simply nodded and the two walked to school together without a word.

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When they got to school, somebody was waiting for them by the year-three classrooms

Somebody with a frog latching onto his shoulder.

"Jin-Jin!" Mikan gulped as the two approached him.

Natsume didn't say anything but he simply rolled his eyes.

"You're **LATE**. Again" Jinno-sensei said, his spectacles fogging up.

The two students remained silent.

"Hyuuga-kun, I'll let you off with a warning since you're a new student and this is your first time to be late. I don't know if tardiness is punished in China but it sure is here in Japan. So be careful next time" Jinno said, eyeing Natsume sternly.

Natsume stared back at him with those emotionless eyes.

Jinno-sensei then turned at the girl.

"As for you, Sakura" Jinno-sensei said, staring at her as if he had seen a repulsive creature embedded in those pigtails.

"You've been late too many times already. It cannot be tolerated. You'll be given Detention today and I'm going to have a talk with the principal about you. If you're late one more time, I will see to it that you are given the exact treatment that you deserve" he growled.

Mikan gave him a frightened look and Jinno-sensei beckoned them to go to their classrooms and left the two standing in the hallway.

"Natsume-kun, let's get to class" Mikan said, tugging Natsume's sleeve.

Natsume seemed to be staring at III-C's classroom – his eyes wider than usual.

"Natsume-kun, what are you staring at?" Mikan said, waving her hand in front of Natsume's face.

"Huh? What?" The bewildered boy said, looking at Mikan.

"What are you staring at?" Mikan asked again, looking at III-C as well. She couldn't see what Natsume was looking at.

Mikan received no reply.

"Are you okay?" Mikan said, her eyes full of concern.

Natsume blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get to class, Polka Dots"

"Oh…okay" Mikan said, turning around. She then walked towards III-A, their classroom.

Natsume remained staring at III-C.

"Ruka…"

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"That ditcher" Mikan said, when the lunch bell rang.

"I told him that I'd be having lunch with him today. That idiot Natsume" she hissed.

That morning, she passed a note to Natsume asking if she could have lunch with him. He made no reply. She watched him toss that note in the bin as soon as she read it. Being naïve and stuff, she took that as a yes.

Apparently, it was a NO.

Mikan got her wallet from her bag and walked to the cafeteria.

The walk from Mikan's classroom to the cafeteria usually took around three minutes. As she walked to the cafeteria, she happened to see a white rabbit near the entrance of the cafeteria – looking at her curiously. It had fuchsia colored eyes and a blue nose. It was the CUTEST thing Mikan had ever seen in her entire life.

"Hello," she said, crouching. "What's a rabbit doing here in the school campus?"

The rabbit blinked at her and scratched its ears. Mikan giggled. "You're so cute"

She stood up. "Oh well, I better get to lunch! Find your owner, little guy"

And then she left. The rabbit's eyes followed her to the cafeteria and after she disappeared into the crowd…

Red flames burst around it and it disappeared in a hiss of smoke

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Mikan leaned against the wall, waiting for the line that led to the pizza booth to move.

"This line is taking FOREVER" Mikan groaned, her legs aching. "Maybe I should buy something else instead"

She was about to leave the line when her ears caught the attention of a conversation between Sumire and her friends.

"Oh my gosh" one of them said. Mikan didn't bother looking to see who it was or else Sumire and company would yell at her for being such an eavesdropper and humiliate her in front of the whole cafeteria. They're like that. So Mikan pretended not to be listening.

"What? What?" Sumire and some other person whose voice Mikan couldn't recognize said.

"Did you see the new student in III-C!?"

Sumire and the other girl made no response.

Mikan's eyes were all perked up right now.

"Anyway, he's HOT. He's blonde too. And he has BLUE eyes!"

"Oh my God! How couldn't I have NOT noticed him around campus if he's that hot?!" Sumire squealed.

"I don't know. But anyway, I think he's a FOREIGNER. But he speaks really good Japanese. You should hear him! His voice is heavenly!"

"So, he's like, as hot as NATSUME?!" another girl said, as if she had said something scandalous.

"They're in the same level of hotness!"

Sumire sighed. "I can imagine him already!"

"Oh yeah! And he has some weird tattoo on his wrist! It looks like a phoenix, you know!"

"Oohh. A bad boy! Just my type!" Sumire growled.

Mikan almost dropped her juice box. A phoenix? A PHOENIX?

And after hearing that, Mikan ran out of the cafeteria to find Natsume.

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She found him in the classroom, reading his manga.

"NATSUME-KUN!" Mikan yelled, panting and gasping for air. "I was looking all over for you!"

"I was settling something with my friend, loser" Natsume responded, without looking at her.

"Friend? Who friend?" Mikan asked, slipping into a chair beside him.

It took awhile for Natsume to reply.

"You don't know him" he said quietly.

Mikan then remembered what Sumire's friend said about the tattoo on the new student's wrist.

She then got Natsume's wrist and looked at it. It had a phoenix tattoo. It was red and had blue eyes.

"What?" Natsume hissed, pulling down his sleeve. "You've never noticed that before?"

Mikan nodded.

"You're so unobservant" Natsume groaned, rolling his eyes.

Mikan returned to her own seat, which was on the other side of the classroom.

_If the new student has a phoenix tattoo just like Natsume then doesn't that mean… _

_He's a Fire Breeder as well?! _

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After lunch, the day passed like a blur. Mikan spent two hours in Detention for being late and then left school at around six.

She was such in a rush to get home that she accidentally bumped into somebody in the school gate.

He had blonde hair falling to his neck and stunning blue eyes. Mikan was amazed at how handsome he was. His face looked like it was carved by angels. Yes, that's how beautiful he was. Mikan felt her heart skip a beat as he gave her a smile.

"I'm sorry" he said. He bent down and picked up her things that fell when she bumped him. Mikan was too dazed to even notice that her school supplies got knocked down.

"I'm Ruka Nogi. I'm a new student in III-C, from Beijing" he said, handing Mikan her stuff.

Mikan's eyes widened. Was he the one with the phoenix tattoo on his wrist? She wanted to grab his arm and check it out but she refused the desire for this for he might suspect something and think she's crazy.

And besides – she was too speechless for words. He was so handsome.

"So you're Mikan Sakura" he murmured, giving a mischievous grin.

"Eh?" Mikan asked, cocking her head.

"Oh nothing. I have to go now. Bye. I'll probably see you around campus" he said, waving goodbye.

"Maybe" Mikan said.

Ruka smiled. "I'm sure of it"

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"_I'm sure of it" _

There was something about Ruka's tone when he said that that bothered Mikan so.

The hazelnut colored haired girl finished up her trigonometry homework and took a shower. After taking a shower, she shut off all the lights in the house and went to bed.

She slept for about for three hours and woke up with a heavy furry thing sitting on her chest.

"HEH?!" Mikan yelled, jumping out of bed. She threw the furry thing out of the bed and switched on the lights.

On her bed was the white rabbit she met earlier. But this time, it had red streaks near each of its eyes.

"W-what are you doing here?!" Mikan stuttered, her voice quivering.

And then all of a sudden, something or rather SOMEONE grabs her from behind and pins her down to the floor.

And it was Ruka Nogi. He was wearing a red and blue silk outfit with a red phoenix on the back and had a golden bow and arrow in his hands similar to the one Mikan played with during the weekend when she hung out with Natsume. He looked very much different than awhile ago.

"Let me introduce myself one more time" he whispered. His voice was as cold as the air.

"I'm Ruka Nogi of the Red Fire Clan. And I was sent to kill you"

Mikan pushed him away and backed away to the corner of the room like a frightened and cornered fox.

A ring of white fire flickered in front of her.

"I'm impressed. You DO have the gift of White Fire" Ruka said and looked at his rabbit. "Usagi! Get her!"

The rabbit burst into red flames and curled into a ball. He then raced towards Mikan like a fire ball.

Mikan shut her eyes and the ring of white fire in front of her rose into the air, blocking Usagi from hitting her.

Usagi fell to the floor, the red flames disappearing.

"SO THIS IS WHAT YOU HAD TO DO, HUH?!" Someone yelled from outside the window.

Mikan looked at who it was. "NATSUME-KUN!" she yelled.

"Orders are orders" Ruka says coolly. "The princess won't like it if you disobey her orders"

"Then she must be REALLY pissed at me!" Natsume growled and took out his sword.

"Ruka! You don't know what you're doing!"

"EH?! You know each other?!" Mikan yelled, standing up.

"Hell yeah!" Natsume shouted.

"We're BEST FRIENDS" Ruka laughed and took his bow and arrow.

Natsume ran to Ruka and pointed his sword to his neck.

"I'm telling you" Natsume breathed. "This girl…you can't kill her"

"And why not?" Ruka whispered back. "Do you have a crush on her?"

"N-no! It's not that! This girl, Ruka – she's going to be the END"

"The end? The end to the war?!"

Natsume nodded.

"If I DON'T kill her – you do know this could bring our lives to stake!"

"Trust me" Natsume said. "I know what I'm doing! The two clans can't go on fighting like this all the time, you know!"

Ruka raised his eyebrow and put his bow and arrow down.

Natsume placed his sword back into his case.

"It'll be your fault if Akimitsu-sempai destroys us"

"I'm not afraid of that brat" Natsume said.

"Well, then – I guess I'm just going to leave you alone" Ruka said, turning to Mikan. "I came to Japan for nothing"

"No. You have to stay" Natsume said. "There are Fire Spirits"

Ruka froze. "What…?"

"The Fire Spirits. They have returned. You've got to stay. They're after her"

"And so?"

"Remember. This girl is going to bring the end to this war! If we just have patience with her and train her…and all that stuff…whatever…we can end it"

Ruka clenched his fists. "Fine"

Mikan smiled. _Natsume-kun has faith in me. _

Ruka and Natsume then sat down on the floor and talked some more.

_These two…_Mikan thought. _They trust each other so much. They're really best friends. _

And Mikan felt a hint of sadness in her heart. _I, myself – don't even have a single close friend. _

Mikan lowered her gaze upon the two boys and sighed.

She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. She felt Natsume's head lean against her leg. Mikan opened her eyes a bit and saw that he had fallen asleep on the foot of her bed. Ruka had gone to sleep on the floor. Mikan smiled and closed her eyes once more.

Meanwhile, something rustled in between the bushes and trees outside Mikan's window.

A camera flash flickered by the window.

"_This will make the school paper" _

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AHEEE.:D Hope you guys liked it! Sorry if it was kinda OOC. It was necessary. ANYWAY. Please leave a review. Thank you. I dedicate this chapter to my LOLA/GRANDMA cause today is her BIRTHDAY. Anyway, hope you guys liked it! Toodles, loves :)


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